Silvertips hire former player Sonne as assistant coach

EVERETT— The Everett Silvertips have mined their past to fill out their coaching staff.

Brennan Sonne, who played parts of three seasons for Everett from 2005-07, was hired as an assistant coach, the team announced Monday.

Sonne fills the spot vacated by Mark LeRose, who stepped down during the offseason to become the general manager of the United States Hockey League’s Sioux City Musketeers. Sonne completes Everett’s three-man coaching staff, alongside head coach Kevin Constantine and assistant coach Mitch Love. Sonne played for Constantine during Constantine’s first stint as Everett’s head coach.

“We’re very excited to bring Brennan back here to Everett, and adding him to our coaching staff makes sense for a lot of reasons,” Everett general manager Garry Davidson said in a press release. “I always admired the way Brennan played the game, and he has always demonstrated a lot of character both on and off the ice. He’s a hard worker who will do whatever it takes to get the job done. Brennan has been actively involved on the coaching side recently, plus he’s an ex-Silverip who already has a good rapport with Kevin and Mitch.”

Sonne, a 27-year-old native of Maple Ridge, B.C., appeared in 106 games with Everett, tallying nine goals, five assists and 210 penalty minutes. He is best known for being a member of the “Joes” line in 2006-07, which played a significant role as a shutdown line as the Tips won the Scotty Munro Trophy for the league’s best record.

Sonne spent last season as the head coach of the Meco Hockey Academy in Hong Kong, where he oversaw a program for players aged 5-14. Before that he coached minor hockey in the Vancouver, B.C., area while working on his sociology degree at the University of British Columbia, which he earned in 2013. This is Sonne’s first coaching job at the junior level.

“I’m grateful for the opportunity to be back in this organization,” Sonne said in the release. “I was so fortunate to play here and now I feel like it’s almost surreal that I’m able to come back and coach here. Of course I played for Kevin and I’ve known Mitch for quite a while as well, so I look forward to working with and learning from them. We all share similar values and beliefs about what a team should look like and how to mentor boys into men, which is what excites me most about being part of this coaching staff.”

Sonne’s hiring gives Everett a full coaching staff as it heads into training camp, which begins Thursday.

Also on Monday the Tips announced that athletic trainer Marc Paquet was hired by the NHL’s Calgary Flames to be the head trainer of Calgary’s American Hockey League affiliate, the Adirondack Flames. The 27-year-old Paquet spent three seasons as Everett’s athletic trainer. Paquet’s position has yet to be filled.

Check out Nick Patterson’s Silvertips blog at http://www.heraldnet.com/silvertipsblog, and follow him on Twitter at @NickHPatterson.